Panaji: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has further extended its interim relief on the ban on sand mining in Goa till the next hearing on April 23. The ban was imposed till Jan 28 after the Goa river sand protection network challenged the 12 environment clearances granted by state authorities for sand mining.During its hearing on Jan 28, the NGT had passed an order imposing costs of Rs 50,000 on the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) for delay in filing its reply.The GCZMA accordingly prayed for modification or recall of the order. The GCZMA, through its intervention application, tendered an unconditional apology for not filing the reply affidavit on the earlier date. The GCZMA also submitted the reply sought before the NGT.The intervention application of the GCZMA was vehemently opposed by the network. The NGT, however, allowed the intervention application. The matter will be heard next on April 23.The network had approached the NGT with an appeal to quash the environmental clearances issued by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, claiming they violate Supreme Court guidelines and the Union environment ministry’s Jan 2016 notification.The appeal states that Goa authorities granted permissions for sand extraction in four river stretches without conducting proper impact studies on the entire cluster.Specifically, the proposed extraction in zone 5 of Mandovi river near Khandola, Ponda taluka, covers an area of 4.3 hectares. The plan allows for extraction of 1,000 cubic metres per annum per permit using traditional manual methods.The appeal argues for the cancellation of environmental clearances as the area falls within CRZ IV-B, designated as a critically vulnerable coastal area. Under the CRZ notification 2011, sand mining is prohibited in such zones.
